1. Technical Field
This invention relates to machines for removing material from workpieces and, more particularly, to turning machines.
2. Discussion
The trend in modern-day machine shops is to employ sophisticated numerically-controlled machine tools. These tools provide the user with substantial flexibility yet are relatively expensive. On the other hand, special purpose machines that are specifically designed to perform a given task may be more cost effective where high volume production of the same part is expected. Whichever approach is used, it is a relatively difficult task to machine aspheric surfaces such as elliptical mirrors as compared to the comparatively easier task of machining spherical surfaces.
The present invention is directed to providing a cost effective machine for making parts such as mirrors with aspheric surfaces.